Obama Surprises Chicago Students During Civic Engagement Workshop

The former president wants to push his legacy forward by training the next generation of leaders.

Students from Chicago who participated in a program organized by Barack Obama’s foundation, received a surprise visit from the former president himself on Saturday evening, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Nearly 175 youngsters, who gathered at the Gary Comer Youth Center in Greater Grand Crossing for the Obama Foundation’s Training Day program, got the opportunity to hear Obama speak about the importance of making an impact in their local communities, the news outlet writes.

When he entered the room, the participants—whose ages ranged from 18 through 24—greeted him with excitement. “The reason I wanted to come by is because this is the first of what we’re calling field days,” he said, according to the source. “When I left the White House, I thought to myself, ‘What’s the single thing I could do to be most impactful in the next phase of my life?’” He added that one of the ways to push his legacy forward is to dedicate himself to coaching the next generation of leaders.

During his visit Obama sat in on presentations, that were delivered by students, which highlighted issues that they identified in their communities and how they would like to overcome them. Prior to his visit, the students had spent the entire day in workshops related to civic engagement and pressing issues surrounding affordable housing, health, and education. A majority of the students were from the South Side of Chicago.

The workshop was the first program initiative under his organization. The Chicago Tribune reports that in late October, the foundation will host summit designed for global leaders. Chance the Rapper, Gloria Estefan and other artists are slated to perform during the two-day event.